NA session may take up 20th Amendment on Wednesday

The session will take up legislation regarding validation of the by-elections. PHOTO: APP/ FILE

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly will meet on Wednesday on its 39th session to take up the issue of by-elections in more than 20 constituencies.

President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned the session of the lower house of the Parliament to meet on Wednesday, in exercise of powers conferred by of Article 54(1) of the Constitution.

An official at the National Assembly Secretariat informed APP that it will be 39th session of the 4th Parliamentary year of the present National Assembly and will take up the legislation regarding validation of the by-elections.

“This session will hopefully take up the proposed 20th constitutional amendment to validate the by-elections,” the official said.

He explained that the objections were raised on the by-elections held during the period when constitution of the Election Commission was not complete. “This session will also focus on addressing these lacunae.”

After the validation of the by-elections was challenged in the Supreme Court, the Election Commission was asked to adopt a mechanism for the validation of these elections.

In view of this situation, the official said that as the Election Commission was not complete as per requirement of the Constitution after the 18th Amendment, validity of the by-election was called in question.

“Therefore, now to validate that act of the Commission and the CEC, the Parliament will be giving constitutional cover to by-election through the envisaged 20th constitutional amendment,” the official stated.

When asked about constitutional requirement for the National Assembly to be in session for 130 days, he said that so far the house had been in the session for 115 days and one more session will have to be summoned prior to the expiry of constitutional tenure of the house on March 17.

He also mentioned that in the new amendment, the Parliament may establish that since the Election Commission was not complete, the Chief Election Commissioner could have acted on behalf of the Commission.